Namaste With Me?
by ThatRandomPJOFangirl
Summary: Shiro and Allura convince Keith to attend a yoga class. His yoga teacher, Lance, takes an interest in him. *Klance, Broganes, Shallura*
1. Prologue

Keith sat on the couch, absentmindedly petting Quiznak. His future sister-in-law hummed in the kitchen, putting everyone's Chinese takeout into bowls. Shiro walked into the room and the cat jumped into his arms. "Quiznak doesn't like me." Keith told his brother, who put the cat down. "Nah, he just likes me better."

Allura shouted from the kitchen, taking a break from singing Rihanna songs to herself. "Keith, you got chicken and snowpeas, right?" Keith smiled. "Yeah, I did!" She might have been his brother's fiancée, but she was already an older sister to him. Keith got off the couch and sat down at the little kitchen table he and Shiro'd had since college. Allura scooped some cat food into a dish for Quiznak and sat down. She absentmindedly broke an eggroll in half and was about to put it in her mouth when Shiro spoke. "So Keith, you know Allura and I go to the gym together, right?" Keith nodded, Shiro was ripped but Allura was one strong-ass lady. "Well Allura's been taking a yoga class, and I've gone with her a few times." Keith was confused. "And?"

Shiro sighed. He was worried about Keith. "I think you should take a yoga class." Keith almost laughed. "Ha, no, no f**king way." Shiro knew this was going to happen. "It'll be good for your mental health, and we'll go with you!" Allura knew Shiro was going to bring this up, but she had no idea that he was going to be so straightforward. She nodded. "I have an extra mat you can use!" Keith adored Allura with all his heart, but there was no way he was using some fluffy floral yoga mat. If he even went, which he wouldn't. Obviously. "Keith, come on," Shiro was serious now. "You've been better," Keith interrupted him. "I've been worse too." "Well, yes, but this is going to be good for you. I've been worried. You'll feel better mentally and physically, you'll make friends. Maybe you'll even meet a guy..."

At this point Keith was willing to do anything to shut Shiro up. "Fine! Fine, fine. When are we going?" Allura looked at Shiro, and he looked back at her, smiling. They both wanted to help Keith. "Tomorrow, at three."

Keith looked down at his chicken and snowpeas. He had a feeling that he was going to regret this.


	2. Keep The Yoga Mat

He reached for a hair elastic, and put his mullet up in a little ponytail. Keith looked at his reflection in the mirror. He was about to go to a damn yoga class. Shiro and Allura had taken Quiznak to a vet appointment, and were going to meet him at the gym. They'd taken the car, so Keith got to ride the bus. Black sweatpants, black t shirt, red socks with black Adidas slides. Keith felt like an idiot getting onto the bus with a gym bag to go to _yoga._ He trusted Allura, but this was pushing it a bit. Why had he even packed a gym bag? It wasn't like he was going to sweat or anything. Yoga is mom exercise, right? But even so, a towel and a change of clothes had been brought with him.

Keith got off the bus and looked at the gym entrance. God, I hope nobody I know is here, he thought. Alas, he had promised Allura and his brother. Walking inside, it was like a blanket of body odor and heat had been thrown over him. The girl at the front desk looked like she spent the majority of her time on a treadmill, thin and lean. She looked up from the computer when Keith approached. "Um, I'm here for the, um, the yoga class?" She smiled. "You're going to love Lance's class. Are you a gym member?" He shook his head. "That'll be $10." Keith paid and looked around. "Could you tell me where the class is?" The girl pointed to a studio entrance at the back corner of the gym.

The studio was spacious, but not large. Paneled mirrors made up the wall, and the floor was dark hardwood. Keith heard his phone ring, and dug it out of his pocket. Before he could say anything, Shiro spoke, sounding uncomfortable and anxious. "Keith! Keith, hey. So um, we took Quiznak to the vet, right?" "Yeah." "Well, erm, they found worms, Keith. Like a lot of them. Dr Lang says it's critical." "Oh my god. Is he gonna.." "They aren't sure if he's going to make it. We need to be here while Dr Lang does vitals, because he might start the procedure as soon as soon as those are written down. Keith, can do you me a favor? Go to yoga. Have fun, please. Just do it for me, me and Allura. Do it for Quiznak! Look, I gotta go-" the call cut off before Keith could say anything else. He stared at his phone in disbelief for a few seconds before he realized that he had paid for a yoga class, had no yoga mat, and Shiro had made Keith's attendance to said yoga class Quiznak's dying wish.

He had no idea what was happening or what to do, so when the man came up behind him he jumped straight into the air. "Hello! You're new, aren't you? I haven't seen you before. I'm sure I would have remembered you." Keith was trying to form a sentence, but his brain wasn't working. Had the yoga teacher just flirted with him? That last line sounded kinda gay. And Keith was very well versed in things that were gay. When Keith didn't answer, the man kept talking. "Well I'm Lance, and this is my yoga class. You don't have a mat, do you? No problem, I've got some extras over here." Suddenly Keith was holding a yoga mat and being ushered to a spot in the front of the studio. Lance took his gym bag and water bottle, set those down, and then rolled the mat out next to them. People were starting to flow into the studio, chatting and unrolling mats. A woman walked in, tall, taller than Keith but not as tall as Lance. She had pale skin, long blonde hair, and violet eyes. Lance turned around just as she approached him, and immediately greeted her with a hug. When they separated, she rested an arm on his shoulder, and stood with one hip popped to the side. "Nyma! How are you? Did Paris treat you well?" Nyma smiled at Lance and then looked down to admire her long pink nails. "It was wonderful! The shopping was fantastic! I bought this top from the cutest boutique, actually." Keith looked at her shirt. It didn't look special, more like something you could find on sale at Kohl's.

Lance continued to chat with Nyma (who Keith already didn't like), until everyone else was just about settled and ready for class. He dimmed the lights and put on some music, then walked around the room handing out foam blocks. "You, yes, you!" Keith looked up at Lance. "Since it's your first time, I thought maybe you would like to use these blocks?" He was about to accept the blocks, until he noticed a small group of middle aged soccer moms who were using blocks. "I'm good, thanks." Keith was _not_ a soccer mom. Lance nodded and walked up to the front of the studio, where he sat down on his own yoga mat. "Alright friends, let's start today's class with some stretching,"

* * *

Keith was beginning to wish he had taken the blocks. He was in plank position, except his right knee was pulled up to his chest. "Now we're going to let our hip hinge open, and let that right leg swing to the side. Bring your chest up, which will leave you in _lizard pose._ " They held that pose for a good minute or so, and then repeated it on the left side. "Now slowly, make your way to standing."

Class was over! Finally. Keith was going to go home and binge watch The Office.

"Now we're going to begin the _warrior sequence._ "

Dammit.

Lance walked from the front of the room to the middle, and stood in-between Charlotte and Keith. Keith had made sure his mat was a good two feet away from hers. "Lunge forward, and put your arms out like so. Good, good, breathe. Now we're going to flip the palms and go into the _peaceful warrior_ stance."

Keith was fairly sure another few seconds in this pose and he would collapse. He was right. His knees started to wobble and just as he was about to topple over, Lance said, "Now we're going to face the left wall, straddle our legs, and then fold forwards." Keith folded forwards, and he shifted his neck to see if he had been doing it right, which he was. Then he noticed Lance, folded in front of him, with his ass in Keith's face. And Keith couldn't help but notice what a good ass it was.

After that, with every pose they did, the lights dimmed more, little by little. Keith was subjected to _sphinx,_ _puppy,_ and _child's_ poses until the lights were off completely. The only glow came from the red EXIT sign above the door. "Let's make our way onto our backs," Lance began, "and get yourself comfortable for _savasna_. Take this time to clear your mind, and let your body process what you have just done for it."

It looked like everyone was just laying down to Keith, but he tried to focus and clear his head. They must have stayed there for five minutes, at least. "Now keeping our eyes closed, let's get into a sitting position. If you can go into lotus, feel free." Lotus? Keith had no idea what that was so he just sat with his legs crossed. "Bring your hands to prayer and bring prayer to your heart." When he heard the chime go off, Keith nearly had a heart attack. Three clear _dings_ rang out into the room. Lance spoke. "The light in me bows to the same light in all of you. Namaste."

"Namaste," everyone mumbled. The lights lit up the slightest bit. "Thanks everyone!" Lance said. "Thanks Lance!" "See you next class, Lance!"

Keith stood up, downed half of his water, and shakily made his way to the showers. He stripped, and turned on the water. It was cold, but he didn't mind. It was like a damn sauna in that studio. The water dribbled down the drain, and Keith thought about Quiznak. Was he going to be okay? Shiro got that cat when he was a freshman in college. Now Shiro was getting married and Keith was a college sophomore.

Keith sighed and turned off the water. There was nothing he could do but hope. Ugh, he'd forgotten a second towel. It went much faster to dry off if he had a separate towel for his hair. He stepped out of the shower and directly into Lance, who had also just gotten out of the shower. "Woah! Ah, hi." "Hi there again! So tell me, did you like the class?" "It was hard," Keith admitted. "You know what?" asked Lance. "I never got your name." Keith smirked. "That's because I didn't give it to you." Lance raised an eyebrow. Keith sighed and rolled his eyes, laughing. "I'm Keith." Lance looked at him for a moment. "How about this-you can keep the mat I gave you in the studio if you promise to come back."

"You've got yourself a deal."


	3. Boiling

Keith walked back into the yoga studio and picked up the mat he'd used. It was then that he realized he'd been using a salmon colored mat, patterned with cherry blossoms. "That's great." he said to himself.

When he got home, he was surprised to see Shiro and Allura sitting on the couch. Her head was on his shoulder, and they held each other. A knot formed in Keith's stomach. "How is..." Keith's voice trailed off. He assumed the worst. Allura sniffled, and Shiro squeezed her a little tighter. "He's staying at the vet's overnight. Dr Lang says that he needs blood transfusion, fluid therapy, and possibly more. They might need to, um, open him up." Shiro's voice broke. "We're hoping for the best, though." Allura tried to fake her usual happy English chirp, but it fell flat. Keith nodded. "I'm going to boil some pasta for dinner." But when he opened the kitchen cabinets, there was nothing there. He remembered that the reason they'd gotten Chinese last night was because there was no food in the house. Keith grabbed the car keys. "I'm going to the grocery store to get some food!" he yelled as he walked through the front door.

Keith loved driving. He connected his phone to the car speakers, and started his playlist while he drove to the nearest grocery store, a Trader Joe's. Keith liked Green Day. He knew all the words to Jesus of Suburbia, and sang the entire thing. The song was on it's last bars when the parking lot came into view. Keith pulled into a spot and grabbed a small shopping basket on his way through the door.

The pasta aisle was past the produce, so Keith took a stroll past the displayed fruits and vegetables. An employee stocked bundles of cilantro nearby. Keith picked up a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce before he made his way to the cash register, which luckily had no line. Absentmindedly, Keith put the items next to the check-out. "'Evening," he said. "Your total is $12.50. Cash or credit?" the cashier asked him. Keith dug into his wallet and pulled out his credit card. He looked up as he handed it to the guy. When he saw the face, however, Keith nearly jumped out of his own skin. "Lance?!" Lance laughed. "Ha, yeah, Keith. It's been a while," he said, 100% facetious. Lance looked down at Keith's sad pasta and marinara sauce. "Is this dinner?" Keith coughed. "Uh, erm, yeah. My brother and his girl usually do the cooking." The taller boy looked down at him, studying the pale face beneath him. "Keith, give me your phone." "Um, what?" Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm going to put my number in your phone, duh." Keith turned an interesting shade of pink, and Lance smiled. "You'll answer my calls, right Keith?" Keith swallowed hard. "Yeah, sure."

* * *

Keith had walked back to his car and driven home in silence. When he opened the front door, Allura and Shiro were asleep on the couch, fingers interlaced. He decided he'd wake them up when dinner was ready. Looking at them, Keith was reminded of all of his ex-boyfriends. He rolled his eyes. All he needed was his brother and Allura, and the cat, he supposed. What would happen if Quiznak didn't make it? Would they get another cat? Secretly, Keith had always wanted a Persian. But every cat he and Shiro had ever had was a rescue. In fact, that's how his brother met Allura. She was volunteering at the local shelter when she wasn't at law school. Allura was a terrifying lawyer.

In the midst of his thinking, Keith almost let the pasta boil over. Hot water splashed onto his wrist. "Damn!" he yelled. Across the room, Shiro and Allura jolted awake. "Are you alright, Keith?!" Allura asked him. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he said while he let cold water run over the burn. "Let's just eat dinner."

* * *

Later that night, Keith got a text from a new number.


	4. Good Night, Beautiful

Texting Key:

 _Lance_

 **Keith**

* * *

 _Hey._

 **Lance?**

 _That's me!_ _How was the pasta?_

 **I nearly burned my hand off trying to boil water.**

 _No way._

 **Totally.**

 _I don't believe you._

 **Well next time I see you I'll give an elaborate retelling or the story.**

 _When will that be?_

 **When will what be?**

 _I mean when am I going to see you again?_

 **Next yoga class, I guess.**

 _That's super far away._

 **Six days?**

 _Yes!_

 **How long have you had the class?**

 _Four months, about. Are you trying to change the topic?_

 **No, I was just wondering. Hey, do you know Allura and Takashi Shirogane?**

 _Shiro and Allura? Yeah, they've been regulars at the class for ever._

 **Well, Shiro is my older brother.**

 _No way! So you're Shiro's little brother?_

 **What has he told you?**

 _Nothing bad, relax._

 **Tell me!**

 _Dude, they love you. What are you doing Saturday night?_

 **Nothing, probably.**

 _Wrong._

 **Wrong?**

 _You're coming out with me. Tell Shiro and Allura that they don't need to worry about feeding you dinner._

 **Where are you taking me?**

 _It's a surprise._

 **You're the worst.**

 _Yeah, I know. Buenas noches, bonito._

 **I don't speak Spanish.**

 _Ha, goodnight._

 **Night.**


	5. Quesadillas- Part One

Lance pulled into Keith's driveway at precisely seven pm, which was the agreed upon time. He was wearing his favorite blue button down and khakis. Lance thought he looked pretty good, if he did say so himself. Keith, however, was a bit of a mess. Mentally, of course. Physically, Keith looked great. Allura stood behind him, combing out his hair and straightening out his red polo shirt. "Allura, stop!" Keith whined, sounding reminiscent of a five year old. "Keith, I am the only reason you ever look presentable when you go out on a date so _shut up._ " Shiro looked up from his book and adjusted his reading glasses. "She's right, Keith."

Keith didn't want to talk about it. "It's not a date, and will you two knock it off? He's probably right outside!" As soon as Keith closed his mouth, the doorbell rang. Allura reached for the doorknob but Keith tried to stop her. "No! Shut up!" "Keith, calm down!" "Shiro, help me out here!"

Lance's first impression of the Shirogane family all together was a pretty good description of how things usually worked around that house. Allura tucked a strand of hair behind Keith's ear while he tried to wrestle himself away from her. Shiro towered awkwardly at 6'2, trying to figure out what to do about his brother and his soon-to-be wife. He had a pair of reading glasses wedged up onto his head. It was pretty chaotic. Lance loved it. He stood there, grinning like an idiot until the brothers and Allura realized that the door was open. "Lance!" Allura said, and reached out the threshold to give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Shiro greeted him with a bro-hug, and Keith stood there awkwardly biting his lip. "Hi," he said.

Lance extended a hand. He wants to shake hands, Keith thought. How very heterosexual of him. So obviously, Keith as well put a hand out. But he was most certainly not expecting Lance to take his hand, say to Shiro and Allura. "We'll be home soon!" and proceed to lead Keith to the blue BMW waiting in the driveway.

As soon as they got into the car, Lance starting talking. "So a buddy of mine, Hunk, owns a cafe downtown... he wanted me to be there for the grand opening, but a seal at the aquarium I work for was having her babies that night."

"You work at an aquarium?"

"Yeah, while I'm getting my marine sciences degree. What about you?"

"I'm studying to be a bio-med engineer, even though Shiro wanted me to be a police officer like him."

"Well I'm sure you're a fantastic engineer." Lance didn't know why he'd said that. Stupid. Keith looked out the window and blushed. They sat in silence for a little while too long. "Do you mind if I put on some music?" Lance broke the quiet. "No, not at all. What do you listen to?" Keith asked. "A bit of everything. Except country. I hate country."

Keith laughed. "What did country ever do to you?"

Lance shrugged and twisted the volume dial. Queen B blasted out of the BMW's speakers and Lance starting singing along. _"I can see your halo!"_

Keith stared. Lance had a nice voice. Was there anything he couldn't do?

 _"Ha-loooo-ooooo!"_

Lance paused and turned to Keith. "Sing!"

Keith didn't want to admit that he had never purposely listened to Beyoncé. "Um, halo?"

Lance laughed and pulled into a parking lot. The cafe looked Olive Garden-esque, and Keith was glad he'd neither over or underdressed. But then he started to freak. Lance's friend owned this place, right? He was going to meet a friend! How would Keith be introduced to the friend? As a fellow friend? As something else? Shut up Keith, he thought to himself. Just be chill. They got out of the car and walked up to the entrance. Lance pulled the door open and bowed forward. "After you," he said with a ridiculous accent.

Keith scoffed and smiled. Lance walked up to the hostess. "Table for two, please." She led us to a table and put two menus in front of us. Lance reached up and took the girl's glasses. "Lance!" Keith said, surprised. He can't just do that, right? Lance put on the glasses and stared at the menu for a moment. Then he spoke. "I think I'll take a hug from my best friend to start out!"

The girl laughed and took her glasses back. Lance stood up and gave her a bear hug. "How are you, Pidgeon?" he asked, and gave her a mocking kiss on the cheek. She rolled her eyes. "I've told you how I feel about the name Pidgeon, Lance."

Keith studied 'Pidgeon.' She was short, shorter than him and Allura, with a messy ginger bob cut. Owl eye glasses sat on the bridge of her nose, and her hands sat on her hips while she glared playfully up at Lance.

Lance gave her another playful kiss on the cheek, and turned back to Keith. "Keith, this is Pidge. Pidge, meet Keith!"

Pidge's eyes widened. " _You're_ Keith?" She looked back at Lance, seemingly impressed. Lance elbowed her and sat back down. Pidge looked down at him. "Seriously, what do you want? Just give me your drink orders to start."

"I'll take an iced tea. Hunk knows how I like it." Lance said. He looked over at Keith. "What about you?"

Keith swallowed. "Uh, just a ginger ale is good, thanks."

Pidge walked into the kitchen to get their drinks. "You should get the quesadillas," Lance recommended. "I stole one of my mom's recipe cards and gave it to Hunk. What about you? Who cooked in your family before you move out, your mom or dad?"

Keith looked down. "I, um, don't really have either. My mom died right after I was born, and my dad left pretty early too. Me and Shiro spent a lot of time in foster care."

Lance took Keith's hand in his. "Well, now you're in college and you've got a family too, right? So I guess it all ended up pretty good!"

God, his smile, Keith thought to himself. Lance had such an infectious smile, it gave Keith butterflies in his stomach. Keith smiled back. "Yeah, you're right."

Pidge came back and plonked two drinks onto the table. "Do you guys know what you're ordering yet?"

"Lance says I'm having the quesadillas. Can I get them with chicken and no onions?" Keith asked. Pidge nodded and turned to Lance. "What about you, Lancey Lance?"

Lance was about to answer but Keith snorted. Lance looked mildly offended. "Lancey Lance? You're such a loser!" Keith kept laughing. Lance smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. Keith saw that and immediately regretted ever opening his mouth. "Tell Hunk to surprise me, Pidge."

Once she had left, Keith looked over at Lance, who was pretending to study the dessert specials. "Hey," Keith said. Lance looked up. "Yeah?" he answered, with another fake smile. "I didn't mean that, okay? I'm really sorry. Lance, there's nothing you can't do."

Lance's smile went back to normal. "Thanks, Keef."

Keith froze. "What did you just say?"

"Yeah, that's what Shiro and Allura call you to piss you off, right?"

"My name isn't Keef!" Keith whined. "I can't believe that they told you that!"

Lance laughed. "Is it true that you used to watch hippo documentaries to relax?"

"Shut up!" Keith should have been mad, but he wasn't. "I'm so going to kill Shiro..."


	6. Quesadillas- Part Two

Lance could have talked to Keith for hours, but seriously, when was this guy going to get the hint? Pidge might as well have said "Hi, this is Lance, he is very bisexual and likes to talk about your butt when you aren't around."

Which, of course, was true.

"And then she said, 'Call me when you grow two inches!' I grew four inches that summer."

"Not fair! Seriously, Shiro got all the tall genes. I'm 5'7!"

"You're so small!"

"Well we can't all be 5'10 by 9th grade, Lance!"

They both laughed. Keith couldn't remember a time when he'd been happier with someone other than Shiro or Allura.

Pidge walked over to their table, carrying two entrees. "Sorry it took so long, Hunk's pretty busy,"

Keith and Lance were confused. "What do mean? It's been like, fifteen minutes!" Lance said. Keith looked at his watch. "Actually, it's been like an hour."

Pidge nodded, and put down their food. Keith got his quesadillas, but Lance had some kind of gumbo. "There isn't-"

"No, Lance. There's no shrimp." Pidge cut him off. "Are you allergic?" Keith asked. Lance opened his mouth to talk. Pidge put up her hands are turned to walk away. "I don't need to hear this again. Call if you need something!"

Lance rolled his eyes and started talking. "How much do you know about our fishing industry? I already know the answer, not much. The current fishing rates are so unsustainable! We can't fish like this much longer without completely ruining our ocean's ecological system for good. Did you know that every day, 1,000 dolphins, turtles, and small whales are pulled up in fishing nets? They're thrown back into the water, of course, but they're already dead by then."

Keith stared at him with a mouthful of quesadilla. "I was just wondering because I'm allergic to seafood anyway..."

Lance flushed. "Yes, of course. Totally. Not that I'm going to like, force people to be vegan or something, we just need to eat sustainable fish." He took a bite of gumbo. "This is nice!"

Keith swallowed and smiled. "Tell your mom that the recipe you stole is really good!"

Of course, Keith thought, he smiled _that_ smile again. The one that made him feel all fuzzy and warm and wonder how soft Lance's hair was. Shut up, shut up! Nope, not the time to be gay. He told himself. You are on a platonic bro outing, chilling with your homie. Besides, Keith would be starting his junior year of college soon, and he needed to be focused. Shiro always told him, "Patience yields focus," and he was named a deputy faster then you can say 'police!' Nobody became a successful bio-med engineer by being mediocre and distracted.

Suddenly, Lance stopped eating. "Have you ever seen a baby seal?"

Keith shook his head. "I don't believe so."

Lance pulled out his phone and scrolled through his camera roll, looking for the perfect picture. "So this is Louise, the harbor seal that just had pups."

Damn was that seal cute, Keith thought.

"So usually mama seals only have one pup per pregnancy, but Louise had twins, which is super rare!" Lance said, and swiped to a picture of the mother seal with her babies. "Aren't they just the cutest?!" he asked, and Keith nodded. "What are their names?"

Lance pointed to the left seal pup, "Lily, and the other one is Luke." He did all of this while also shoving spoonfuls of gumbo into his mouth.

Later, Pidge came back to get their dirty dishes. "Give my regards to the chef!" Lance told her, with another toothy smile. Pidge rolled her eyes and turned back to the kitchen. "Hunk!"

A large, Hawaiian-looking man walked out of the kitchen holding two plates, wearing a white chef's apron and holding a very fancy dessert in each hand. Lance abruptly stood up and attempted to give him a hug. "Uh-uh, Lance, no! I love you, but you are not ruining this crème brûlée!"

He put down the plates, and then opened his arms, chuckling and inviting Lance to give him a hug. Lance let go of his friend, who turned to Keith. Keith put out his hand, "Hi, I'm Keith-" but the big man wrapped him up into a bear hug. "I'm Hunk! It's great to finally meet you Keith, I've heard so much about you!" Hunk was going to say more, but Lance shot him a look that he thought Keith didn't see.

Suddenly, Keith mentally slapped himself. _Dammit! The bill!_

"Um, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"I uh, don't really have a lot of money on me-"

Hunk intergected. "Nah, don't worry about it! Lance finally decided to show up to my restaurant, and I'm treating. Sit down! I didn't make dessert for you two to look at!"

Pidge and Hunk each pulled up a chair. "Cheers!" Lance said, holding up his still-unused spoon. Keith clinked his spoon against Lance's, and they both broke the caramelized top of their crème brûlée. "Oh my good God," Keith said. Hunk looked worried. "Is something wrong with it?" "Not at all!" Keith said. "This is fantastic!"

Lance laughed. "Nobody makes a crème brûlée like Hunk, that's for sure!"

Keith stopped. "You've had this before?"

Lance nodded. "Hunk and I went out to dinner the when we each got our first paycheck. He ordered a crème brûlée and has been hell-bent on perfecting his own ever since."

"How long ago was that?"

"Five years ago. We were fifteen."

"How could it possibly get better than this?"

Hunk smiled. "It's really that good?" he asked, and Keith nodded fervently in response. "Um, yeah!"

You see, Keith and Shiro hadn't exactly had a champagne lifestyle. Allura, however, had never wanted for anything. Keith didn't know much about Allura's father or how he made his money. It had something to do with a large company, he believed. He'd died in a car crash when Allura was 18. After the accident, she'd moved to the United States. Once she became a part of Keith and Shiro's family, they had money too. Shiro and Keith protested, but Allura insisted that after she moved in, there would be no more ramen for dinner.

Keith stifled a yawn, he hadn't been able to sleep last night. "Are we boring you?" Lance asked, mockingly raising an eyebrow. "Oh, no, no of course not!" Keith said, unaware that Lance was clearly kidding. "Relax, man!" Lance told him. "You look exhausted."

"Well I couldn't sleep last night, so I tried to study and ended up staying up way later than I meant."

"Same, literally," Pidge said to him. Keith laughed into his crème brûlée. "Am I that relatable?"

"She shouldn't be talking," Lance said. "That little nugget is only in her first year of college!"

Pidge looked over at him. "I will remind you that this 'little nugget' got a full scholarship, Lance."

* * *

Lance walked through the parking lot, half dragging Keith along with him. It was late, later than Lance had planned to be home by. "Do you think," Keith began, "that snakes ever get sad that they don't have legs?"

Lance laughed. If he hadn't known better, he'd think Keith was drunk, or maybe high. But they'd been together, and the only thing Keith had to drink was ginger ale. Keith looked at him. "Well?" he asked. Lance thought for a moment. "I think that snakes don't mind not having legs," he said after a moment. "Because they love themselves unconditionally!"

They got into the car and Lance went to turn on the radio. "Wait!" Keith said. "Could you play Shakira?"

Now, Lance wasn't sure he'd heard Keith right. "Did you say Shakira?" he asked. Keith nodded. "Don't say anything to Shiro, but she's my favorite!"

Lance studied the dark circles under Keith's eyes. "Do I want to know how much you've slept lately?"

Keith shrugged, a dopey look on his face. "Probably not enough!" he said, grinning for no reason.

Man, Lance thought to himself. He's cute. "Well," he began. "Can _I_ play _Shakira?_ Hell yes I can!"

While Shakira sang about how her hips didn't lie, Keith opened the window, let the wind blow back his hair, and took a deep breathe. Moonlight hit his eyes, and they turned kaleidoscope purple.


	7. Pancakes, Respectively

Meanwhile, Allura and Shiro sat at home, awaiting Keith's return. Quiznak sat in Allura's arms, just barely healthy enough to come home. On the kitchen counter sat a bottle of pills, with instructions to give the cat two each day. Shiro held an empty beer bottle in one hand and had his other hand wrapped around Allura, who watched as Shiro finally fell asleep.

"Shiro?" she said, trying not to laugh. "Hm, yes, no, what, that's me!" he answered, bolting upright and dropping his bottle. Allura laughed and pushed back the tuft of hair she loved so much. "Go to bed," she told him, resting her chin on his shoulder.

The doorbell rang. Allura got up and placed Quiznak on a pillow. She brushed some of the cat hair off of her leggings extended a hand to Shiro. He smiled, took her hand, and let her pull him up. Together, they walked to the foyer. Shiro pulled the door open, to see his brother spinning in dazed circles on the front steps.

Lance looked at Keith, then at Shiro, and back to Keith. "I swear he didn't drink or do anything like that! He just sort of got like this and asked me about snakes and if they got sad that they didn't have legs!"

Allura and Shiro looked at each other and smiled. Allura put a hand on Lance's shoulder. "Don't worry about it, he does this when he gets overtired. Sorry about that, we'll make sure he sleeps tonight!"

Lance shrugged. "Nah, I don't mind. It's cute."

He froze, realizing what he had just said. "Not, like that though, I mean, I don't, but I prefer- well, his hair, but still..." Lance trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck, dying to get out of this situation.  
Lance spun around to make sure Keith hadn't heard him. Keith was still spinning.  
"Look, I'm gonna go, but-"

Allura took Keith by the wrist and began to gently pull him inside. "He'll call you."

Lance turned around to leave, but before he took a step, he said over his shoulder, "Make sure he sleeps, too?"  
Allura nodded, smiling, and closed the door.

* * *

With hands on her hips, Allura tried to figure out how she would be getting both of her boys to bed. She walked upstairs and into Keith's room. Allura opened one of Keith's dresser drawers and pulled out flannel pajama bottoms and a black shirt. She walked over to Keith and hugged him. "I'm so proud of you, Keith!" she told him, and lifted the red polo shirt off of him. "Allura, what are you doing..." Keith muttered. She put the black shirt over his head and handed him the flannel, directing him to the bathroom. "Brush your teeth."

Next was Shiro. He was downstairs, on the living room couch again with Quiznak on his lap. Allura lifted the cat up, and held him like a baby, carrying him up to her bedroom and putting him on the foot of the bed she shared with Shiro.

Shiro walked up the stairs, yawning and rubbing his eyes. He walked towards her and leaned in for a kiss. "No, brush your teeth and get in bed."

"Ugh, Allura!"

"If I kiss you will you come to bed?"

"Yes," Shiro promised, and walked into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

* * *

Keith woke up the next morning and at first didn't remember much. He picked up his phone and was in the middle of stretching when it came back to him. "Oh, shit!" he said. "Shit, shit, shit!"

Allura walked in, rubbing her eyes. She yawned. "What's with all the language?"

"I can't believe you let me go out after not getting any sleep!"

Allura looked offended. "Excuse you?" She was about ready to slap him upside the head.

"Sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"You'd better be."

"Ugh!" Keith screamed.

Allura hugged him. "Oh, I know it, lovie."

"Don't call me that."

"Well we're going to breakfast. Get dressed."

"Allura, I can't today."

Keith was depressed, and a little worried he had messed up everything with Lance. Not that he cared, or at least wanted to care. Allura wasn't interested. She knew how to deal with depressed Keith. He wasn't depressed to the point where he would start drinking or actually not get out of bed. He just needed a gentle push. "Keith, get out of bed and get dressed. You need to work opposite-to-emotion."

"You sound like my therapist."

"Get up."

Keith rolled his eyes.

"I'll sick the cat on you."

"Quiznak is too sick to scare me." Keith answered. Allura had her hands on her hips, looking expectant.

"I will get dressed if you leave my room, Allura!"

* * *

Keith had put on jeans and some shirt Allura had bought him. It was flannel. Keith would never admit it, but it was one of his favorite shirts.

"Get out here, Keith, or we're having pancakes without you!" Allura yelled, and Keith heard her start up her Mercedes Benz. "You wouldn't dare!" Keith yelled back as he ran out the door and jumped into the car. "I knew you couldn't resist pancakes," Shiro said.

Allura's phone rang and she picked it up. "Hello? Are you kidding me? Right now, you're sure? All right, I'll be there."

She let her phone drop out of her hand and rolled her eyes back into her head."Dammit! They need me at the firm." "Why?" Shiro asked her. "Some big case they need me for."

Keith got out of the car. "I probably have work to do," he said.

Well, there go my pancakes, he thought to himself.  
Keith made his way upstairs to his bedroom, where he opened the textbook that sat on his desk.

 _Functional Brain Imaging and Bioelectromagnetic Measurements_

 _Noninvasive functional brain imaging has made a tremendous impact on improving our understanding of the human brain._

Keith slammed the book shut. "Dammit!"  
He already knew all of this.

 **Textbook segment taken from Electromagnetic Brain Imaging: A Bayesian Perspective**


	8. Who Needs An Omelet?

Shiro walked into Keith's room, only to find him asleep on a textbook at his desk. "Keith?"

Keith let out a gentle snore. "Keith!" Shiro said, louder this time, and Keith sputtered awake. "W-what?"

His brother laughed. "You remember when Allura took us on that South African safari last year?"

"'Course I do."

The stuffed hippo he'd bought still had a prominent place on his bed. "See? It's right there!" Keith said. "Don't pretend like you didn't name her Gloria after the hippo from the Madagascar movies."

"Shut up!" Keith said, and threw a pillow at Shiro, which he caught. "Did you have breakfast?"

"I'm not hungry."

"Come have a bowl of cereal, it's almost noon."

"I'll have a Pop Tart."

* * *

Allura clicked down the stairs in her heels. She straightened her charcoal-gray blazer and adjusted the matching pencil skirt. She turned around for Keith and Shiro. "Am I good?" she asked. Shiro walked over and kissed her on the cheek. "You look amazing."

"Yeah," Keith said, and added, "Go kick some lawyer ass!"

"Thanks! Love you guys!" she said and clicked out the doorway. But before she left, she stuck her head back in the house. "Eat some breakfast, Keith!"

Keith rolled his eyes and unwrapped a Pop Tart. It was strawberry. Keith liked strawberry.

"Have some orange juice, will you?" Shiro said to him. "Relax, please."

From upstairs, Keith heard his phone ring. He jumped up, banging his knees beneath the table top. "Dammit!" he said, and ran upstairs to get his phone. It was Lance. "H-hello-hi!" he said, silently cursing himself.

"H-hello-hi to you, Keith."

"Shut up."

"Nah. Good morning, though."

"Good morning, Lance. Any particular reason for the phone call?"

"Can't I just call because?"

"Well sure, I guess."

Shiro yelled up from downstairs. "Keith, who are you talking to?!"

"None of your business! You're not my mom!"

"You good?" Lance asked from the other end of the phone.

"Yup, excellent," Keith told him, closing his bedroom door.

* * *

Across town, Lance stood at the stove, making eggs for his family.

"Hold up," Lance said to Keith, and turned to ask for egg orders. "How does everyone want their eggs?" he yelled.

There was a chorus of "scrambled!" and then one "omelet!"

"No omelets!" Lance yelled.

"Scrambled is fine..." came the omelet voice.

"Mmm-hmm," Lance said, turning his attention back to his cell phone.

"Why won't you make an omelet?" Keith asked. "He'll be fine with scrambled. I'd make you an omelet, though." Lance said.

"I've never had an omelet, to be truthful," Keith admitted.

Lance gasped. "That is a tragedy! Keith, I will be making you an omelet!"

"I really don't need an omelet."

"I'm gonna make you an omelet!" Lance said. He was excited now.

Shiro knocked on Keith's bedroom door. "Go away, Shiro!" Keith yelled. "I'm talking to Lance!"

"Tell him I said hello!" Shiro said. "Loser," Keith muttered into the phone.

"Be nice to your brother!"

"You wouldn't make your brother an omelet."

"Well my brother isn't you, now is he?"

"I didn't think so."

Keith flopped down onto his mattress.

"You gonna be at yoga on Thursday?"

"That is five days away, relax."

"It's a yes or no question, Keith."

"Yes, I will be there."

"Hey, where are my eggs, Lance?" someone in the McClain household yelled. "Hey, I'm gonna go," Lance said. "I'll talk to you later, okay?"

"Bye."

Keith hung up the phone, and rolled over onto his back, smiling. He had so much to tell Allura.


	9. Man Leggings

Shiro walked into Keith's room to find him laying face down on the bed, groaning. "Ugh..." He sat down at the foot of his younger brother's bed. "What's wrong Keith?" he asked. "Lance called, and we had a really nice conversation, and he says he's going to make me an omelet!"

"Why do you sound angry about that?"

"Because what if he likes me? I certainly can't like him!"

"What do you mean, you _can't_ like him?"

Keith rolled his eyes and gestured at the textbook on his desk. "I have school to worry about, Shiro! I'm not going to be top of my class if I waste any of my time hanging out with some guy that wants to make me breakfast food, dammit!" Downstairs, the front door opened. "I'm home!" Allura yelled, before pulling off each of her heels and walking up the stairs. Allura found the boys in Keith's room, and she took off her blazer and lay down on the bed next to Keith. "My client is an ass."

Shiro put his hand over hers. "It's okay, babe. You know what you're doing."

"Of course I do, but that doesn't make him any less of an ass."

"I know, babe."

"Can you two please shut up?" Keith asked, with his face still buried in the pillow. Allura groaned in response. "I've had such a day, Keith. Don't test me."

"Keith is having boy problems, Allura."

Immediately, Allura perked up. "Tell me everything!"

Keith sat up and crossed his arms. "So Lance called me, and I was like, why are you calling? Then he said why couldn't he just call because? And then somehow we got into a conversation about how I've never had an omelet and then he totally insisted that he make me an omelet."

Allura nodded. "Hm, suspicious."

"I know!" Keith lifted his arms in surrender. "Nope, you know what? This is too much work! I'm done! I don't even know if he likes guys!" Shiro raised an eyebrow and asked, "Does he know you're gay?" Allura shook her head. "Most likely. But the real question is, have you told him you're gay? There's a difference."

"No, I haven't told him! How do I put that into a conversation? Like, oh, by the way, I'm gay!"

"You have to casually work it in."

"Sorry, Allura, but I'm not a social butterfly or whatever."

She put an arm around him. "Awe, it's okay. What do you want to do about it?"

"I don't wanna mess this up, you know?"

Keith put his face back in the pillow. "Ugh!"

Shiro picked up the stuffed hippo. "Would Gloria the hippo make you feel better?"

"I hate you." Allura gave a sigh of defeat. "Shiro, can you order a pizza or something?"

"Do you want a side salad?"

"Yes, if I don't get one I'll feel guilty later."

"Got it. Keith?"

"I want an order of garlic bread."

"Of course you do." Shiro left to go order them dinner. Allura laid on her stomach and put her head in her hands, looking expectant. "Okay, just us now. Talk."

"Will you tell Shiro?"

"He may be the man I'm going to marry, but you're one of my best friends, Keith. I won't tell him anything."

They hooked pinkies. "Okay," Keith said, and exhaled. "I don't really know if I like him and I don't know if he likes me and I don't really know anything!"

"Alright, are you going to the next yoga class?"

"Of course I am."

"I will make sure I go and Shiro does not. But we need to make sure you look _hot."_

"How am I supposed to look hot while doing an iguana?"

"It's called lizard pose. And that is beside the point. It's Sunday. You have four days to figure out how, Keith. I am going to help you."

Allura stood Keith in front of the full length mirror that hung on Keith's wall. "First and foremost," she began. "The ass." She held up a pair of Nike sports leggings. "These should fit you."

"There is no way in hell that I am wearing your leggings."

"They aren't mine. I bought them for you. They were going to be a present as some point, but I think you need them now. They aren't much different than your skinny jeans."

"I'm a little bit offended by that."


	10. A Seal In Your Car?

It must have been around midnight, that Keith got the phone call. He squinted at the screen. Why was Lance calling?

"Lance, do you know how late it is?"

Barking and slapping sounds were the only answer. "Lance, this isn't funny-"

"Keith! Keith," he said, breathing heavily. There was another bark in the background.

"I need your help."

There was another, louder bark. "Lance, what the hell is that?"

"Um, there's a seal in my car."

"Are you f**cking with me, Lance?"

"They were gonna take her from her momma!"

"Calm down, Lance. Take who from who?"

"Lily!"

"The baby seal?"

"Yes! They were gonna take her from Louise and Luke, and it was my turn to lock the doors, and I just sort of picked her up and put her in my car?"

Keith put his fingers to his temples. "Lance-"

"Please, Keith! I need help!"

Keith sighed. He knew he would regret this. "What kind of help?"

* * *

As quietly as he could, Keith made his way downstairs.

There, in all his fatherly glory, was Shiro. Sitting on the couch and reading a book. "Hey," he said, and took off his reading glasses. "Where are you going?"

A blank silence followed.

"Out."

"Out where?"

"To see Lance..."

Shiro raised his eyebrows. "Oh."

"Not like that! And why do you care? You're not my dad."

Keith's older brother rolled his eyes. "I just want to make sure you'll be safe."

"Well if you want the truth, I'm going to buy heroin laced with elephant tranquilizers. Then I'm going to find a hooker and have sex in an alleyway."

Shiro didn't know how to reply to that.

"Oh my God, I'm kidding!" Keith yelled, exasperated. "Lance... got a cat. And it's peeing everywhere. He needs help."

"Why you didn't you just say so? Go ahead!"

As Keith walked out the door, Shiro reminded him. "Take your helmet!"

Keith begrudgingly picked up his motorcycle helmet.

"Stay safe! Make good choices!"

Keith slammed the door shut.

* * *

When Keith got to the aquarium parking lot, he found Lance instantly. There was only one car, and only one car with seal barks echoing out the window. He parked his motorcycle. Lance rolled down a window. "Wow man, a motorcycle! That's awesome!"

Keith was just about done already. "Hey Lance, in case you didn't know, you stole a seal from an aquarium. You need to put her back."

"I can't! They'll take her away!"

"Lance, you took her away. If she really is leaving, she should be spending her last night with her mom and brother."

"That's not it! She's sick! I don't know what's wrong with her, but her barking sounds weird and her breathing is shallow. I think she might have an underdeveloped lung."

"But wasn't she fine when she as born?"

"Aren't you a medical engineer?"

"Bio-medical. I know nothing about seal illnesses."

"She needs urgent help."

"Is there anyone at the aquarium who could help?"

"Everyone has gone home!"

"Lance, this is the kind of situation where you call and wake up an experienced marine biologist, not a sleeping bio-med student!"

Lance was about to answer when his phone rang. "Yes, sir? I know that Lily's missing, I have her with me! Yes, yes I know I'm not supposed to do that... sir, she's sick! I can't let her get shipped away tomorrow. No, please don't fire me! I'm not making things up, sir. I'm aware of how serious this is, but Lily's condition could be critical. I believe she has an underdeveloped lung. No sir. Yes, right away sir!"

Keith stared at Lance's face as he set down his cell phone. Lance took a deep breath. "I think they might put her down. Seal twins aren't that common, so the doctors were worried that something would go wrong."

Lily was asleep on the passenger seat of Lance's car. "Take her back to the doctors, Lance." Keith said.

"Thanks, man."


	11. Today Is The Day!

Allura stood next to Keith, admiring herself in the floor-length mirror. She turned to the side to admire her ass in the yoga pants.

"Stop giving yourself sexy eyes in the mirror." Keith interrupted.

"You are absolutely no fun, Keith! Here, try it!"

She grabbed him by the ribs and positioned him in the proper ass-viewing position. "See?"

Keith nodded. "Yeah, these leggings make my butt look good."

Allura smiled and clapped. "You're my favorite brother!"

Keith rolled his eyes, but let her kiss him on the cheekbone.

"Now, let's do some stretching before we go to yoga so we're extra flexible!"

Allura casually slid into a split. "Are you kidding me." Keith said, in the flatest voice.

"I bet you Lance can do a split."

"Well he's... stupid, so if he can do a split so can I."

Allura snickered.

Keith took a deep breath and eased himself down towards the floor. About halfway down, he stopped. "No, nope, nope!" he yelled and hopped back up. Allura nodded approvingly. "That's the first time I've seen you attempt a split, and it wasn't terrible."

"Wow, thanks."

"I'm serious."

"Do you just randomly do splits at work like that?"

"And rip my Calvin Klein pencil skirt? Certainly not."

Allura checked her phone. "Come on, we've got to leave now if we want to be on time!" She dialed Shiro, who was picking up medicine for Quiznak (who'd made a miraculous recovery after minimal surgery).

"Yes, he needs two pills. I know he doesn't like taking them, but he has too. He's in our room on the bed. I'll see you when Keith and I get home. Do you want me to pick up takeout? I'll order something from the deli. Love you!"

Allura hung up before Shiro had a chance to say anything. They hopped in the Benz, and Allura plugged the AUX cord into her phone, and a long Rihanna playlist started.

"So you met Lance at yoga?"

Allura bit her lip. "Mhmm."

Keith's eyes widened. "You're not telling me something!" he accused, and Allura sighed in defeat. "We've been friends for a while. When I moved to the States, his family hired me to help take care of all the kids."

"I can't believe you didn't tell me that!"

Keith collapsed back into the seat of the car.

"I'm sorry, Keith. Please don't be mad! I really just want to see you happy."

He looked over at Allura, visibly concerned. "Okay," he said, and her face lit up. "But no more lying to me!"

Allura nodded vigorously. "I promise!"

They pulled into the gym parking lot, and Allura inhaled deeply.

"Today," she said, "Is the day Lance falls in love with you!"


	12. Hot Yoga

The first thing Keith noticed was the steam. There were three large humidifiers and four space heaters.

Keith wiped his brow. "What's going on?"

When Lance saw Allura and Keith, his face lit up and he bounded toward them. "Allura!" he said, and gave her a sweaty hug.

"Hey! Lance, are we doing hot yoga today?"

He nodded. "I wanted to try something different! Are you excited or what?"

Keith pushed his way into the conversation. "I'm here too. And what might hot yoga be?"

"We're doing the entire session in 90 degree heat. Oh, wait, I totally forgot you're new to this whole yoga thing! Maybe you should come back next week?"

"What? Are you implying that I can't do hot yoga? I can totally do hot yoga! Yeah!"

Keith Kogane didn't know many things about getting boys to like him, but he was pretty sure that chickening out of hot yoga wasn't the way.

"Alright!" Lance said, looking mildly impressed. Keith mentally gave himself a pat on the back.

He went to go put his yoga mat down near the side, but Allura shook her head. "Near the front! You're gonna be on display!"

"Whatever."

An hour later, Keith was pretty sure that he must have impressed Lance, because that class was basically hell.

At the end, during savanna, Lance came around to rub lavender oil into everyone's shoulders.

Keith could feel Lance standing over him. It was like a pressure over his closed eyelids. When Lance leaned down to rub the oil into Keith's shoulders, Keith bit his lip. He stifled the desire to moan.

The class ended with the chimes and everyone mumbling _"namaste."_

Keith shuffled upwards and began to roll his yoga mat. He glanced over at Allura. "I'm gonna rinse off, I just need five minutes."

She nodded. "You go, I'll take care of your mat."

Keith opened the locker room door and bumped into Lance. "Oh, hey man."

Usually, Keith would have been socially awkward and annoying, but he was so exhausted that he didn't have the energy to stress.

"Hey, Keith. Good job today!"

Lance patted Keith on the back and went to walk out the door. At the last moment he stopped.

"Keith?"

Keith spun back around. _That looked bad_ , he thought to himself.

"Yeah?"

"That was pretty impressive. What you did, I mean, especially since you're new at this. Maybe someday you'll be almost as good as me!"

Lance winked and shut the door.

Keith stared in the mirror, and collapsed on the counter. "What does that even mean?!"


	13. Therapy and Cinnabon

"I have no friends. Why don't I have friends?"

"Because you don't know how to be nice."

Keith sat up and glared at Allura.

"Since when were you my phyciatrist?"

Allura uncrossed her legs and leaned forwards, removing her work glasses.

"Since I spent the better part of my young adult life in therapy, Keith."

Keith huffed and lay back down on the couch. Allura looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Well if you know all the answers, why don't I know how to be nice?" he asked her.

"You've had a difficult childhood, Keith, and it's time you come to terms with that."

"What do you know about having a difficult childhood?!" Keith sat up again, yelling. His face went red. He instantly regretted his words.

Allura had lost her father and mother to a 'car accident' that was allegedly planned by Alfor's power-hungry best friend, with who he started their million-dollar technology company.

The man was never convicted, which Keith knew eventually drove Allura into a law career. She wanted to make sure nothing like that ever happened again.

"I'm sorry." Keith whispered.

"I know you are, Keith. I know you and I love you, and I know you didn't mean it. We're family, and I'll always forgive you. But everyone else isn't going to forgive you that easily. You need to learn to filter your words."

Keith nodded. "I know."

He paused for a moment, unsure of what to say.

"You wanna go shopping?"

Allura smiled gleefully. "I thought you'd never ask!

The pair were just walking out of Nordstrom when Keith heard a familiar voice yell, "Hey, buddy!"

He and Allura turned around to see none other than Lance, jogging towards them.

"Fancy seeing you here!" Allura said, and Lance flashed a characteristic grin.

"My sister Veronica's birthday is next week, and if I forget her birthday I'll never hear the end of it."

Before Keith even knew what happened, Lance rested an arm on his shoulder and asked, "Mind if I join you two?"

Allura looked at Keith, who was absolutely paralyzed.

"We'd love that!"

Lance smiled again. "Well, I'm in the market for something sparkly, you see."

Allura's face lit up. "I could use something sparkly as well!"

She turned to Keith.

"Come on, lets go!"

Seeing his reluctantance, she said, "I'll buy you some Cinnabon..."

"Fine."


	14. Something Sparkly

After Keith got his Cinnabon, the shopping trio made their way towards the jewelry store. Lance walked in between Keith and Allura, and jokingly tried to grab a piece of Keith's Cinnabon.

"Ah, um, absolutely not!"

Lance laughed, and gave Keith mocking puppy eyes. "Please?"

Keith couldn't say no to that face.

"Fine."

Allura looked at Keith and winked.

"Lance, what do you think your sister Veronica would like for her birthday?"

"I dunno, probably something sparkly."

Allura squealed. "I've been wanting something sparkly!"

Lance looked at Keith. "What do you say?"

"Are we talking about sparkly Cinnabon?"

Allura playfully smacked him and grabbed his arm before purposefully walking towards the nearest jewelry store.

"Were you thinking ring, necklace, earrings, or bracelet?" she asked Lance.

He scratched his head. "Actually, I have no idea. I was just planning to wing it."

Allura sighed. "Disappointing. What about the stone itself? Diamond? Emerald? Sapphire? Not chocolate diamond, those are repulsive. I've never understood the appeal."

"Please, don't go off on a tangent about chocolate diamonds." Keith pleaded.

"I don't think I'd be able to afford any of that anyway!" Lance laughed. "My budget is kind of low. Textbooks are expensive, and apparently you need a lot of them for marine biology."

Allura laughed. "I'm sure we'll find something perfect."

She ran ahead and launched into a full-speed conversation with the nearest employee.

Keith tried to ignore Lance standing next to him. He could feel Lance's gaze burning into the back of his head.

"So, is Shiro your only sibling?"

It took Keith a moment to realize that Lance was talking to him. "Oh, uh, yeah. Just the two of us. Before he met Allura, that is."

Lance nodded. "Not me. Other than my siblings, my parents and my grandparents, we've got the animals too."

"Animals?"

"Not many. Just a few chickens, a goat, and a donkey."

"A goat? A real goat? The kind that goes 'maaaa-maa' like that?"

Lance laughed. "I don't know what other kinds of goats there are. That's not quite what he sounds like either, but it was close enough since you've never seen one."

Keith felt his face go hot.

"Lance, Keith!"

Allura jogged back towards them. "Look at this one!"

She held up a necklace with a thin chain and a simple crystal pendant.

"It's a simple cut, elegant for any occasion. And it's cubic zirconia, so it isn't expensive."

Allura pointed at a sign behind them. "And it's on sale!"

Lance nodded. "I don't know much about jewelry, but that all sounds pretty good to me."

"Or," Allura continued, not yet finished, "you could get her this ring. It's the same stone, but the cut is different."

Lance held up the ring. "Whaddya think, Keith?"

He took Keith's hand and slid the ring onto his finger. Mockingly, he fanned his face. "He said yes!"

Allura laughed.

Keith's face went red again, and he pulled off the ring. "I think I like the necklace better."


	15. Finding Keith

"Oh my God,what was I thinking?"

Lance dropped his face into his hands. "I pretended to propose to him! How stupid am I?"

Pidge snorted, not looking up from her laptop, where she was furiously typing something.

"Yeah, I'd say that's pretty dumb, Lance."

Lance lifted his head to shoot a glare at Pidge from across his bedroom, at his desk where she was perched while he wallowed in misery on his bed.

"Well, were you weird?" Hunk asked him.

"Obviously," interjected Pidge, earning another hard stare from Lance.

"So how do I fix this?"

 _Good morning_

 **It's noon**

 _I slept in_

 **I'm not surprised**

 _Hey, no need to be cranky. I wanted to thank you and Allura for helping me out the other day._

 **No problem. Let me know what your sister thinks of her necklace.**

 _Certainly. What are you doing today?_

 **Nothing, I caught a nasty cold.**

Pidge and Hunk peered over Lance's shoulder, checking that every text he sent was perfectly calculated.

"He's sick, what do I do now?"

"Hey, I'll soup and you can bring it to him!" Hunk beamed proudly. His food never failed to bring people together.

 _What time?_

 **What?**

 _What time am I coming over?_

 **You aren't. You'll get sick.**

Lance's face fell, and he turned to face Pidge and Hunk. Before he could give up, Pidge scoffed. "Don't be a pussy! Are you gonna get your man or not?"

Hunk nodded. "Do you think I got Shay to go out with me by wimping out?"

With renewed confidence, Lance returned to his phone.

 _Nah, I don't get sick. So what time?_

 **Idk, Shiro and Allura aren't home, so whenever.**

Lance stared at his phone screen. "Hunk," he asked, "how fast can you make that soup?"

An hour and a half later, Lance was parked in Keith's driveway with a Tupperware of soup. He forced himself to get out of his car, and walk up to the front door.

He knocked. No answer.

Lance raised his hand to knock again, but before he could, the door swung open to reveal Keith.

He was slouched forwards, and his hair hadn't been brushed. With one hand, he motioned Lance to come inside while he balanced himself on the door with the other.

"Wow, man, you look like a wreck."

Keith scowled at Lance. "Thanks. Did you come over to tell me that?"

It took Lance a second to respond. "What? Uh, no. I, uh, Hunk made some soup." He shoved the Tupperware in Keith's direction. Keith yawned, and then sighed.

"Would you put it in the kitchen?"

Lance had never actually been farther than the foyer. It was a suburban family-style home, albeit large and well-furnished. The open floor plan made it easy enough to find the kitchen.

Keith pushed some hair out of his face. "So, like, did you want to watch a movie or something?"

To be honest, Lance had no idea what was going to happen after he dropped off the soup. It wasn't like he expected Keith to swoon over the romantic gesture and faint into his arms.

Not that Lance would be opposed.

"Sure. Anything in mind?"

After a decent amount of bickering, they were seated on the couch, generously far away from each other while the opening credits for _Finding Nemo_ played.

"Really?" Lance had asked, slightly amused.

"Yeah," Keith mumbled. "It's a classic."

Lance was painfully aware of every move he made while trying to discreetly slide closer to Keith on the couch. Keith was completely engrossed in the movie, however, and had no idea.

That is, until he realized he was about to fall asleep and turned to look at Lance, only to find him a few inches away. At this point, Keith was so done with cartoon fish that he had no qualms about what happened next. He fell asleep, and slowly but surely leaned onto Lance's shoulder. Lance, who had been wondering how Nemo could possibly fit in that aquarium filter, froze.

His heart was beating way too fast, and his face flushed when he noticed the way that Keith's lips were just barely parted.

It was at this moment that Lance realized that Keith was not going to wake up any time soon. He sent a frantic text to Pidge and Hunk, accompanied by a picture just for proof. Pidge just laughed at his predicament while Hunk told him to stay still.

So Lance let himself relax into Keith, and for a moment he could almost imagine that this was actually real.


End file.
